Cracking the code: women charging the tech industry

Women are now upskilling their digital capabilities to crack the code to gender equality through inclusive automated technologies and disruptive innovation, according to UiPath.

Australian women are seeing new opportunities to capitalise on digital skills, especially in automated technologies. A recent survey found that over half (55%) of Australian female workers were motivated to undertake digital skills training within the next year, which is 14% higher than the number of men wanting to upskill in digital technologies.

More than 500 female employees from the National Australia Bank (NAB), including non-technical staff, recently signed up to gain foundational cloud skills and a certification in cloud technology.

“There are many untapped opportunities for women in technology automation,” said Mark Fioretto, Area Vice President and Managing Director Australia and New Zealand for UiPath.

“In fact, according to the Tech Council of Australia, the country will need an additional 653,000 technology workers within the next five to seven years. Many of these skills will be needed in artificial intelligence, machine learning and end-to-end enterprise automation.”

Even though three-quarters (74%) of Australian organisations have spent 10–20% more on automation since the pandemic, IDC research shows that 82% of organisations with more than 1000 employees still have fewer than 50 automation developers.

Sally Douvis, Senior Director, Human Resources, Asia Pacific and Japan for UiPath, said this was one example that clearly demonstrated the crucial need for women in automation.

“As the demands of juggling career and caring commitments become more challenging, women are beginning to recognise that automation could be their answer for career development without the burnout.

“Working either in the technology automation industry or in roles supported by human-friendly automated technologies broadens women’s career opportunities and provides the workplace flexibility needed, enabling an increase in work productivity while sustaining personal balance.

“At UiPath, increasing the representation of women in technology is an important goal to support diversity in technological development, which is enabled by our focus on workplace automation.

“Being inclusive of women in automation can unlock limitless potential for automations in society that improve our work lives and the greater world. The automation field is therefore a great place to nurture diversity in the workplace.”

Image credit: iStock.com/aquaArts studio